My Adventures 3: Saxtead Green

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On Monday the 20th March 2023 Dan and I drive to Framlingham where we park for free at Pageant Place. We pull on our boots and walk up the Saxmundham Road towards the town.

We pass the Jeaffresons Well pictured above.

The well was sunk in 1896, named in memory of Framlingham's town doctor, Dr Jeaffreson. The well is now disused but its shelter remains in place.

We continue on along Castle Street through this pretty town.

Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book.

We reach the Castle Inn and we walk a short way up to the castle, but we will visit this on way way back so one quick photo and we walk back and onto Church Street.

Framlingham's history can be traced to an entry in the Domesday Book (1086) when it then consisted of several manors.

The medieval Framlingham Castle is a major feature and tourist attraction for the area, managed by English Heritage. Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon) was proclaimed the first Queen of England there in 1553. It is referred to in Ed Sheeran's 2017 single "Castle on the Hill", Sheeran having grown up in Framlingham. There is a large lake or mere next to it which used to supply the castle with fish. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

As we walk down Church Street as you'd expect there is a church. St Michaels Church to be precise.

The Church of Saint Michael, Framlingham, has been built, rebuilt and added to down the ages. A surviving feature, the capitals of the chancel arch, date from the twelfth century, but the majority of the church was built in the Perpendicular style between 1350 and 1555. The roof is especially glorious with intricate fan tracery which conceal hammer beams. The roof itself dates from about 1521.

Framlingham was a major seat of the Earls and Dukes of Norfolk. Vast estates of the Norman Bigods were forfeited to Edward I and Framlingham came to Thomas of Brotherton, eldest son of Edward and Margaret of France. After many other changes of inheritance, in about 1635 Sir Robert Hitcham bequeathed the Framlingham estate to Pembroke College, Cambridge, who remain Lords of the Manor to this day. The church contains many fine tombs including that of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.

One of the most noted features of the church is the world-famous Thamar organ. Only eight large-scale organs in total survived the English Civil War, and only three of those are Thamars. The other examples being in Gloucester Cathedral and St Nicholas's church in the hamlet of Stanford upon Avon, Northamptonshire.

The painted front pipes belong to the Thamar organ first built for the church's patrons, Pembroke College, Cambridge, by Thomas Thamar in 1674 just after the Restoration (celebrated by the hatchment on the south wall); the only other painted pipes of this style are to be found in Gloucester Cathedral. The case is believed to date back to before 1630 (maybe much earlier – 1580 has been mentioned) and some of the pipework may at least pre-date the Commonwealth.

In 1707 the college decided it would like a larger and more up to date organ by Father Smith for their Wren chapel; the Thamar organ came to St. Michael's in 1708 along with its case. It was placed on a gallery where it stayed until 1898. For a period the organ was moved about the church first to the north aisle and then into the chancel until 1970 when the gallery was recovered from the castle and reunited with the organ in its present position under the leadership of Michael Gillingham and with the aid of the Pilgrim Trust.

The organ's history contains many mysteries. One concerns the famous and historic organ builder John Byfield who worked on the organ during 1740 according to reports in the Ipswich Journal. When Hunter rebuilt the organ in 1898 he used most of Thamar's pipework on the great organ except for the cornet and trumpet which he replaced with a harmonic flute and gamba. The cornet went missing and the trumpet was lost. The swell incorporated at least three eighteenth-century stops.

The restoration by Bishop and Son of Ipswich in 1970 was sensitive and imaginative. The Thamar organ was restored with no additions or subtractions (apart from a board for bottom C#). The cornet was rediscovered in the Rectory attic and repaired, restored and reconstructed. A very old rank of trumpet pipes was found to replace the lost set. The swell was matched up to complement the great and based on its 18th-century content. The pedal was likewise treated. The Cromorne was introduced by John Budgen of Bishops and is an excellent and versatile addition to the swell organ. A pedal reed was also added. The organ specification is available at the National Pipe Organ Register.

The organ has illustrious associations: Mendelssohn is believed to have given lessons to Caroline Attwood when he visited her elder brother George Attwood, then Rector. Mendelssohn knew George's father, Thomas Attwood, composer and organist of St. Paul's Cathedral and one time pupil of Mozart.

Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519–1536), an illegitimate son of Henry VIII of England by his mistress Elizabeth Blount, is buried in the church in an ornate tomb.

This tomb was indeed at Thetford, for Richmond died in 1536 and was first buried there at the Priory. He was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, his mother being Elizabeth Blount, one of the ladies-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon . The King promoted FitzRoy to high honours and titles for he was the only son who survived more than a few days of life, apart, of course, from the future Edward VI. In his desire to promote the interests of his family, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk had arranged with the King that his daughter Mary should become Richmond 's wife. The couple were betrothed but due to their tender years did not live together and the consummation of the marriage was prevented by the early death from consumption of Richmond when he was only 17. The responsibility for FitzRoy's burial was placed upon Norfolk by the King who seems to have lost interest in his son, once dead. After the dissolution of Thetford, the tomb and its body were brought to Framlingham and Mary Richmond, Norfolk 's daughter, was buried therein after her death in December 1557.

Before his own death in 1614 Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, Surrey's youngest son made arrangements for his father's and mother's remains to be removed to Framlingham and this monument portraying them both to be erected in 1614. The Latin inscription refers to Surrey as being the son of the Second Duke, which is technically correct as after the Battle of Bosworth the Dukedom was rendered extinct and the Second Duke became the First Duke of the new creation.

The tomb chest is not a religious example but rather extolling the virtues of its subjects. His two sons kneel at the foot end. At the head end are Howard's three daughters:Jane, who wears a coronet

in the centre is Katherine Howard, who married Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley

Margaret who married Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton (1534–1592).

By about 1976 the whole monument was subsiding in the centre and the ends collapsing in on itself. The restoration was entrusted to John Green and the monument was duly cleaned and restored to its full brilliance. It was when it was being cleaned that Mr Green found the dowel holes next to Surrey's calf where there once was a coronet (not worn, since he died in disgrace). A new coronet was made of lead casting with large fish weights for the baubles, the whole thing was then painted, gilded, and placed in position.

The church contains family burials of the Howard family (mostly moved after the dissolution of Thetford Priory)

The tomb of Thomas Howard stands immediately to the south of the high altar. Archeologically it bears comparison with anything in northern Europe if not perhaps in Italy . Around the four sides are the figures of the twelve Apostles together with Aaron and St Paul . On the south side there are St Matthew, St James the Great, St James the Less and St Andrew; on the west St Peter, Aaron and St Paul; on the north St Matthias, St Jude, St Simon and St Philip; and on the east St John, St Simeon(?) and St Thomas. These represent the last major display of religious imagery in England before the full weight of Reformation theology made such things impossible.

The design of the tomb is part-French and part-English and it is significant that it was commissioned, not by the Crown, but on behalf of the greatest nobleman in England . It is thought that parts, at least, of this tomb may have been incorporated in another which was at Thetford for Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk victor of Flodden . In turn, this man's father had been John Howard who had died fighting for Richard III at Bosworth and for whom the Norfolk dukedom had been created in the Howard name. It is known that there are two other male bodies interred in the 3rd Duke's tomb and it is an unproven supposition that these are the bodies of his father and grandfather, removed to Framlingham after the dissolution of Thetford Priory.

We leave the church and head off down Church Street and into Framlingham Market.

Framlingham was the main location for the BBC television comedy series Detectorists, starring Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones and Rachael Stirling. It has also appeared in numerous other TV programmes.

There is a traditional English market in the town square, Market Hill, every Tuesday and Saturday mornings offering fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and cakes, fresh fish, coffee, cheese and pies, and other occasional stalls.

We walk out of town along Market Hill and onto Bridge Street.

View back to St Michaels.

We cross the River Ore and walk up College road a short way before turning left up Vyces Road and this becomes Brook Lane to the end.

At the end of Brook Lane I cross New Street and onto a path called Earl Soham Lane.

Now the mud starts, we have to walk through a small stream and along a path where water is flowing down.

This eventually leads out out to farm fields, where they seem to stretch for miles for little to look at, sire its more pleasant in the summer!

A primrose, first sign of Spring, today is the Spring Equinox anyway!

After much field walking we can see Earl Soham in the distance.

We exit out onto Church Lane, where yep you guessed it there's another church.

We walk up to St Marys at Earl Soham.

The tall west tower faces the road, the wings of the church folded in behind it and set in what is a deceptively sylvan churchyard. There are no aisles. The best towers in East Anglia are late 15th Century, and this is one of them. You can even make out the inscriptions naming the donor and the mason high up on the west buttresses.

St Mary underwent a late and theologically articulate High Church restoration in the last years of the 19th Century under the watchful eye of Richard Abbay, who was Rector here for almost half a century. Abbay was a creative and energetic man, and every part of this church shows his impress. His is the inscription on the south porch, a modern translation of a medieval invocation, Christ who died upon the rood, grant us grace our end be good. The medieval figure on the porch pinnacle was probably set here by him - Mortlock thought it might be St Andrew.

The nave was rebuilt at about the same time as the tower in the 15th Century, and has an excellent contemporary double-hammer beam roof, unusual in what is a relatively small church. The font is probably contemporary with the rebuilding of the nave, although the general feel is of a well-kept late Victorian church.

Many of the benches are, in fact, medieval in origin, but in most cases completely restored. The bench ends were mostly produced in the early 20th century under Richard Abbay's direction by a group of parishioners taught by Archdeacon Darling, the woodworking Rector of Eyke. As at other churches where such things are found - Worthham and Hollesley spring to mind - they are a delightful collection, giving an insight into the imaginations and interests of Earl Sohamers of a century ago. An old woman binds a stook of corn and a man carries a basket from the Labours of the Months, and there are a number of other rural subjects. An old man sits in a big coat and a bowler hat, perhaps in the snug of the local pub. Some are animals, some copies of more famous medieval bench ends at Blythburgh and Ixworth Thorpe. It must be said that some are rendered with more enthusiasm than skill, but they are all the more charming for that. A few are genuinely medieval.

There are two reminders of Britain's colonial role in India face each other across the nave. Charlotte Colvin was the wife of Sir Auckland Colvin of the Indian Civil Service. She died in 1865 at the age of 28 at Roorkee in the North West Provinces of India. Meanwhile, a charming Art Nouveau lead and pewter memorial recalls a Captain in the 87th Punjabi Regiment killed half a century later. He was Marmaduke John Norman Abbay, the son of Richard and Janet Abbay. He died in France on May 10th 1915 from wounds received at Ypres. he was 29 years old. The memorial, almost certainly designed by Richard Abbay, records that he Gave his Life for his Country, his Soul to God. That must have been small comfort, even then.

We leave the church and walk down The Street and turn right up a track by the school.

This track leads us up to Earl Soham Lodge, there's a sign saying private track but Google maps says there's an antique centre here, so we walk up.

Earl Soham Lodge is listed Grade II* and understood to date from Tudor times. The original manor house, built on the site of a former medieval hunting lodge, formed part of both the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk estates for many centuries before being sold to and substantially extended by the Cornwallis family in 1789. Set within the delightful moat, a registered national monument and approached over a twin arched bridge, the lodge with its handsome Georgian elevations is surrounded by part walled formal gardens which blend into a delightful parkland setting beyond.

No antique centre and it does appear to be a private residence. We walk back down the track to find our footpath out.

We take a footpath beside the school and follow a path across more farmland out of Earl Soham.

We walk out onto Bedfield Road and cross over to another footpath, Here was what I was hoping we wouldn't have any of today. A soggy ploughed field!

We walk across the field, our boots becoming heavier with every step of huge clumps of mud attaches to us. It is a hard slog across.

We now cross another field full of soggy mud clumping challenges.

We walk out onto Several Road and follow this up to Saxtead Green.

We reach Saxtead Green Post Mill.

A mill has stood at Saxtead Green since at least 1287. Records for Framlingham Magna manor in 1279 record 2 working mills and a third which had fallen into decay. It seems likely that the mill at Saxtead was built to replace that mill and perhaps reused timbers from the old building.

It was built on a completely new site, for records show that it cost 21 shillings to prepare the 'Great Mount' for erecting the building. Records are remarkably detailed, showing such expenses as 9s 2d for 110 ells of canvas to make sails for the new mill, and 33s for the millstone.

The earliest post-medieval mill for which we have historical details stood on this spot in 1796 when the miller was Amos Webber. A new house was built for his successor, Robert Holmes, in 1810.

Saxtead Green mill is a four-sailed post mill, which means that the lower body of the mill revolves around a central post, or pole. The mill body is about 46 feet in height, and the sails span 54 feet. There are three floors inside the roundhouse, and visitors can see the internal workings of the milling machinery.

We leave the mill and walk up Saxtead Road and we spot the Old Mill House pub. Be rude not to stop and we well ready for a break.

So it appears if we wanted real ale, all they had left was Adnam's Ghostship, so ghostship it was then!

We left the pub, feeling more tired from having the break than refreshed. We really hope there are no more mud clumping fields ahead.

We walk on taking a path on our right passing Bradley Hall.

We cross more farmland passing new Street Farm, onto a road at New Street and another path on our left up to Mount Pleasant farm.

We are now walking back into Framlingham.

The town has the two oldest functioning Post Office pillar boxes in the UK, dating from 1856, located in Double Street and in College Road. The pillar boxes are marked V. R. Victoria Regina, after Queen Victoria.

We walk back through we came earlier making our way to see the castle.

We walk back up to the castle that is closed on Monday and Tuesday, but we can have a look on the outside.

An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (slighted) by Henry II of England in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1173–1174. Its replacement, constructed by Roger Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk, was unusual for the time in having no central keep, but instead using a curtain wall with thirteen mural towers to defend the centre of the castle. Despite this, the castle was successfully taken by King John in 1216 after a short siege. By the end of the 13th century, Framlingham had become a luxurious home, surrounded by extensive parkland used for hunting.

During the 15th and 16th centuries Framlingham was at the heart of the estates of the powerful Mowbray and Howard families. Two artificial meres were built around the castle, which was expanded in fashionable brick. With a large, wealthy household to maintain, the castle purchased supplies from across England and brought in luxury goods from international markets. Extensive pleasure gardens were built within the castle and older parts redesigned to allow visitors to enjoy the resulting views. By the end of the 16th century, however, the castle fell into disrepair and after the final Howard owner, Theophilus, entered into financial difficulties the castle and the surrounding estates were sold off.

In 1636, Framlingham Castle was given to Pembroke College, Cambridge, as a philanthropic gesture, and remained in its ownership for some three hundred years. In the 17th century, the internal buildings were taken down to make way for the construction of a poor law workhouse within the castle; it was used in this way until 1839, when the facility was closed; the castle was then used as a drill hall and as a county court. In 1913, Pembroke College placed Framlingham into the guardianship of the Commissioner of Works. During the Second World War, Framlingham Castle was used by the British Army as part of the regional defences against a potential German invasion. Today, the Castle is managed by English Heritage and run as a tourist attraction. It is protected under British law as a Grade I listed building and as a scheduled monument.